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Poisonous Club – Devil ‘s Club
Araliaceae (Oplopanax horridus) identification: shrubby perennial to 10', a twisted tangle of spiny thorns. gives off a pleasant scent and has big, maple-like leaves that are thorny on the underside. White blooms in a terminal head that resembles a club.
habitat: seeps, stream banks, damp, low-lying forests—common in the Olympic range and cascades, from sea level to the tree line in Canada—and western mountains to the west coast, particularly in moist places.
Toxins/irritants: This plant causes mechanical harm. Big thorns rip and puncture the flesh. Berries don't taste good.
Symptoms: Intense puncture wounds that in certain cases might lead to dermatitis.
First Aid: clean cuts and apply triple antibiotic ointment if necessary.
Notably, spring buds are consumed as a survival food (remember, though, that people will also eat dirt during bad times). Seek them out early, as soon as the snow melts, and select tender new shoots with gentle spines. This resilient plant fortifies every habitat in which it grows. Uses for its roots, berries, and greenish bark make this one of the most significant medicinal plants in the West. Berries are applied to hair to eradicate lice and impart a glossy finish. Inner bark can be consumed raw by chewing it or it can be decocted and ingested for the same purpose. The inner bark is used to treat ulcers, arthritis, and cramping in the stomach and intestines. See the author's Basic Illustrated Edible Wild Plants and Useful Herbs or go to his website, herbvideos.com, for additional resources.
Araliaceae (Oplopanax horridus) identification: shrubby perennial to 10', a twisted tangle of spiny thorns. gives off a pleasant scent and has big, maple-like leaves that are thorny on the underside. White blooms in a terminal head that resembles a club.
habitat: seeps, stream banks, damp, low-lying forests—common in the Olympic range and cascades, from sea level to the tree line in Canada—and western mountains to the west coast, particularly in moist places.
Toxins/irritants: This plant causes mechanical harm. Big thorns rip and puncture the flesh. Berries don't taste good.
Symptoms: Intense puncture wounds that in certain cases might lead to dermatitis.
First Aid: clean cuts and apply triple antibiotic ointment if necessary.
Notably, spring buds are consumed as a survival food (remember, though, that people will also eat dirt during bad times). Seek them out early, as soon as the snow melts, and select tender new shoots with gentle spines. This resilient plant fortifies every habitat in which it grows. Uses for its roots, berries, and greenish bark make this one of the most significant medicinal plants in the West. Berries are applied to hair to eradicate lice and impart a glossy finish. Inner bark can be consumed raw by chewing it or it can be decocted and ingested for the same purpose. The inner bark is used to treat ulcers, arthritis, and cramping in the stomach and intestines. See the author's Basic Illustrated Edible Wild Plants and Useful Herbs or go to his website, herbvideos.com, for additional resources.
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